Port of Albany poised to sign 30-year shipping agreement with construction company

Richard Hendrick, general manager at the Port of Albany, says the port is negotiating a 30-year contract to ship stone and concrete materials from Rensselaer, New York to New York City.

The contract marks a major milestone for the port. The construction materials would lead to the first shipments out of the Rensselear, New York side of the port in 30 years.

"Revitalizing the port is transformative," said Charles Moore, director of planning a development for the City of Rensselaer. "We were a 24-hour city at one time, with a thriving port area with hundreds of jobs and a stable tax base."

The Port of Albany is a global transportation hub for imports and exports on the Hudson River. Barges carrying wheat, wind turbines and scrap metal move in and out the Albany, New York side of the port daily. Cargo traffic to the Rensselaer side of the port halted 30 years ago because of a deteriorating wooden wharf.

The port has undertaken a $8.7 million improvement project, largely funded by the state, to replace rotted wood with steel and concrete. The wharf rehabilitation has attracted potential new businesses in the construction, solar and fuel industries. Hendrick said the project will be completed before the end of 2014. Shipment of the construction materials will start as soon as upgrades are finished.

Hendrick could not yet release the name of the construction company that will begin shipping materials from the Rensselaer side of the port. But he said the deal will be finalized soon.

The contract includes roughly three barges per week. Seven longshoremen will be needed to load and unload each barge 12 hours per day, six days per week.

Hendrick said the port also is closing in on another major deal involving the former BASF Corp. property.

The BASF Corp., a chemical plant, was one of the region's largest employers until it left the port in 2000.